The Wild Country
by Kuna Longshanks
Summary: When humanity withdrew behind the walls, they didn't consider who they left outside. Now, Titans aren't the only things that roam beyond the walls...
1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

_ When the world experienced the arrival of the Titans, humanity fought for its very survival. The people in Europe withdrew behind walls to live without the perpetual fear of being eaten, glad that they would ensure humanity's continued existence._

_ The people left in the Americas weren't quite so lucky._

_ The Titans were on the verge of extinguishing their very lives when they discovered a weakness the Titans had that they overlooked._

_ Fire._

_ Armed with this new knowledge, everyone retreated to the mountains and the northernmost parts of Canada, setting fire to the entire country. The Titan's onslaught stopped right in its tracks._

_ The Americans fell on the surviving Titans and slaughtered the remainder under the command of Joseph, a young man with the odd ability to turn into a Titan. He and the army became humanity's saviors._

_ This victory brought hope to the people, and many began to talk of freeing Europe from the Titans' clutches. So in the year of 841, that is what the newly christened Army of America set out to do._

**Year 846, Outside Wall Maria.**

A company of riders urged their horses closer to the Wall they were sent to scout out. They were getting near the gate that led into Shiganshina when a left wing rider came up to the front.

"Captain, what is it we are looking for?" The man asked the woman on his right side.

"We're looking for a reason that the Titans' numbers have dropped." She answered "We already know that they can't starve to death or die of old age. So we are looking for an explainable cause."

"I think we found an explainable cause." One of the other riders said, pointing in front of him.

The group slowed their horses to a slow walk, horrified by the sight in front of them.

The Shiganshina gate was gone.

The wall was smashed in, leaving a gaping hole that was 15 meters high and several meters across. No rubble was outside the wall, suggesting that whatever did it was strong enough to kick or hit the wall down.

The riders began to shout and scream in horror and many began to weep in distress. The red haired woman got their attention with a piercing whistle.

"ENOUGH!" She shouted. Everyone fell silent.

"Squads 2 and 4, go back and report to the commander." She ordered, "Squads 1 and 3 are coming with me to see if there is any people left inside the Wall. Move out!"

The force split in half and one went back and the other half moved toward the hole in the wall.


	2. Chapter 2

**To My Readers,**

** Thank you for reading this story. I hope you enjoy it and any questions, comments and concerns are welcome.**

**And now… Our feature presentation.**

**Trost Gate, 846**

**(Erwin's POV)**

This is it.

His first Recon mission as Commander of the Survey Corps.

Would he fail? Would he succeed? He didn't know, and as the gate opened, he was having some serious doubts.

"Rethinking your decision?"

He turned to his captain. Levi, being the person he was, looked bored.

He shook his head and turned back to the front. The Gate was open and waiting for them to ride out.

Erwin sighed.

"SCOUTS, MOVE OUT!" He shouted. The 52nd Recon Mission left Trost and headed out into the land in Wall Maria.

After two days of being outside Wall Rose had gone better than expected. Erwin's new formation had minimized the amount of casualties by half. However, they had to head back instead of continuing because of the sheer number of Titans.

Erwin was disappointed by having to turn back, yet happy that his idea for the formation had worked.

His thoughts were broken by a Scout riding from the right spotter's position. The poor girl looked as pale as linen.

"What is it, soldier?" He asked.

"Sir, we've got a problem! There is a Titan running in our direction!" she gasped, having started to hyperventilate. Hange didn't help matters one bit.

"Really?! Where is it?! Is it a special kind of Titan?!" The scientist shrieked, nearly scaring the girl off her horse.

Erwin motioned to Hange to shut up.

"Where did you see it and why didn't you use the flares?" Erwin asked.

The girl seemed to calm down a little bit. She took a deep breath and continued with her report.

"We didn't use the flares for fear of attracting it to our position. Gunter went to see what it was doing because it keeps darting around like it's trying to catch something." The Scout said.

"Interesting." Hange said. "Anything else odd about it?"

The girl thought for a second.

"It's on fire." She added, pointing in front of them.

The Titan in question was in front of them. Flames curled off of it as it bent down to swipe at something. Erwin's blood ran cold, but he fired the flare to redirect the formation toward the Titan.

(Gunter's POV)

Gunter's urged his horse to go faster. Whatever was making this titan act completely different had to be important.

He approached the titan. It completely ignored him and stomped its foot down near a horse and the rider it carried.

The horse kept its footing, but threw its rider. The person fell on their side and slid twenty feet.

Gunther leapt into action. The next thing he knew was that he was flying through the air like a bird. He soared into the sky and fired a grappling hook into the titan's shoulder. He descended like a bolt from on high and sliced off the weak spot at the nape of its neck.

The titan fell, never to rise again.

Gunther came back to the ground, looking for the rider that the titan had been chasing. He saw the horse nudging a crumpled heap on the ground with its nose. Gunther approached the heap, only to have the horse attempt to kick him. He continued to approach, now cautious of the horse's back legs.

He knelt down and turned the person over, brushing the semi-long red hair out of the person's face. Judging by appearance, the person was a woman. She had a large gash across her forehead that bled down in her closed eyes.

Gunther panicked. How was he supposed to do something about this? He didn't know what to!

His thoughts were interrupted by the shriek of Hange and the noise of the rest of the formation. He picked the woman up and hoisted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

_Hopefully I don't get in trouble for this._ He thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Two chapters in one day?! I am on roll! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, sadly. If I did, I'd call dibs on Commander Erwin.**

**And now … Our Feature Presentation**

**(? POV)**

I came back to consciousness, keeping my eyes closed in case someone was watching me. I used my other senses to explore my surroundings.

I seemed to be lying on a wooden surface that creaked and groaned with movement. Over that was the *clip clop* sound of horse hooves and the smell of blood, sweat, and fear.

_I guess I must be in some sort of cart. But I don't think I'm dead if I can smell or hear. Unless…_

I opened my eyes and saw the evening sky above me. I breathed a sigh of relief and sat up.

Two people sat in the cart with me. One was blonde haired and had his hair tied back in a ponytail. The other was a slightly dark skinned guy with brown hair.

"You're finally awake." The dark skinned guy said. I shrugged my shoulders and ran my hands through my hair.

"My name is Eld Jinn." said the blondie. "This guy is Gunther Schultz." The dark skinned guy nodded at me.

I smiled slightly. "Kai Pendragon is my name." I said. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

The two men smiled back. I looked around the outside of the cart and saw that my horse Chip had his reins tied to the side of the cart. He sidled up to the side of the cart and lipped at my shoulder.

"I'm fine, Chip." I said, patting his nose. He knickered and drew back.

I chuckled and looked back at the two men in the cart. Eld's eyes were round with surprise and his mouth hung open in surprise. Gunther's right eyebrow was traveling up his forehead.

"What?" I asked.

"Your horse." said Eld.

"What about Chip?" I said, feeling a little confused.

"Your horse has those strange markings." Gunther said.

"You guys have never seen an Appaloosa horse before?" I asked.

Eld and Gunther shook their heads. I guess they haven't been outside the walls before. I shook my head and hugged my knees to my chest as the cart rumbled toward where ever these people live.

When the wall came into view, I laid back down and covered myself with Eld's cloak. If the stories Gunther and Eld just told me were true, then I need to be as normal as possible. The bandage wrapped around my head would help.

The stone gates opened and the impulse to jump out of the cart grew. I had never known walls in my life, and I didn't like it. Freedom is something I valued, and I'll be damned if it was ripped away from me.

But I stayed in the cart, acting like I was injured. Eld had to look down so no one saw him try to suppress his laughter. I opened one eye and glared at him. He shut up pretty quickly.

People in the streets hurled insults at the returning soldiers. some came and hugged family and friends that survived, but a good amount of people whined about the waste on the money they paid through taxes. Gunther looked like he was about to hit someone.

"Gunther." I whispered.

"What?"

"They don't know better. They are just rich pigs that care nothing for others. They are content to cower behind these walls. They aren't worthy of your anger."

He hung his head and the fight left his eyes. We were silent as we rode out of the town and toward wherever the Scouts lived.

"How'd you know?" asked Gunther.

"It human nature to be afraid. But you must go on despite your fear." I said, patting his hand.

"I guess that makes sense." Gunther said. I nodded, yawning. The events of the day and the rocking motion of the cart lulled me to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hiya! Sorry for not updating in a while, i've been busy with school and other stuff. Just saw Thor 2, but i will admit i only watched it because of Tom Hiddleston's fantastic ass.**

**Tom Hiddleston: Kuna Longshanks does not own Shingeki no Kyojin.**

**... That was unexpected. **

The Scout regiment arrives at their HQ, thankful that they survived another expedition beyond the safety of the walls. Unloading the carts with the bodies was a damper on good spirits, but many veterans knew that the body count was usually higher.

Gunther shook Kai awake. She sat up with a groan and stretched her back until it popped. Gunther saw Eld noticeably wince, but Kai ignored them.

"Prepare yourself." Eld whispered to Kai.

"Why?" Kai whispered back. Eld pointed to a rapidly approaching Hange, and fled before he could be caught up in the ensuing verbal assault. Kai saw the reason Eld ran off.

"Shit." She groaned. Hange skidded to a stop in front of Kai.

"OhmygoditsnicetomeetyoumynameisHangeZoewhatsyours?" Hange squealed.

Kai merely blinked and didn't answer.

"Well?!" Hange said, jumping up and down with enthusiasm.

"My name is Kai. Er, nice to meet you?"

Hange breathed in to answer, but was cut off by Levi clapping his hand over Hange's mouth. Hange began to protest, but Commander Erwin joined them.

"Excuse Hange, she can get a little excited by anything new." Erwin said.

"Noted." Kai said.

"Now what was your name again?" Erwin asked.

"Kai Pendragon, sir" Kai said. Erwin quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes sir, that is my actual name." Kai said, looking Erwin square in the eye.

"It's an unusual name, but I think it suits you." Hange said, having managed to escape the hold that Levi had put her in. Levi sighed and clapped his hand back over her mouth.

"What are you going to do, now that you're inside the Walls?" Erwin asked.

Kai thought for a tick. What would she do? Living her life in the Walls wasn't a logical option for her. She'd die before her pride would bend and she would give up the freedom she treasured. Her thoughts turned to another option.

An option she liked.

"Commander? Would it be possible for me to join you guys?" Kai asked.

Erwin was taken aback by her question.

"Wouldn't you be happier living as a normal citizen, though?" Erwin asked. Kai chuckled.

"And give up the freedom I have known for most of my life? Not a chance!" Kai said.

Erwin sighed. She would be difficult to convince otherwise, and the knowledge of the outside world would make her more useful than not. But she didn't have any idea how to use 3DM Gear, and she seemed very …dangerous. It was the glint in her eyes that made him wary. But the positive outweighed the negative.

"Fine. Hange will give you a tour of the HQ and get you a uniform."

Hange squealed with delight, but Kai's face formed an unhappy scowl.

_I get stuck with this maniac? Oh joy._

(Kai's POV)

Hange showed me around the big castle. She pointed out some of the important aspects of people along the way. Apparently Captain Levi was a neat freak, and some guy named Mike had a habit of sniffing people. I could understand Mike, but Levi was another matter.

He was a stiff, in my opinion.

Cleanliness was one thing, but he made it a tad much. He took one look at me and shoved me straight into the washroom, claiming I needed to be clean before I could put on my uniform. I sighed and washed up the best I could in ten minutes.

After that, Hange had me fitted for a uniform. When I thought uniform, I thought of loose riding clothes, not the tight pants and the straps. At least the shirt allowed me to breathe. Hange didn't help matters one bit. The woman nearly talked my ears off. Imagine my relief when the dinner bell rang.

The mess hall was only half full of people, so people were kinda spaced around the room. I found Eld and Gunther after getting my food and sat with them. They were sitting with two other people I didn't recognize.

"Well," said Eld. "How was your tour?" He had a smug smile on his face.

"Make a joke about it; and I might have to kick your teeth in." I growled. The running commentary Hange had kept up during the tour left me with ringing ears and a headache.

"Don't mind Eld," Gunther said. "He's a smartass all the time."

"All the time?" the ashen haired guy beside Gunther drawled. His face resembled a prune.

"Twenty-four seven is more like it." The girl with the auburn hair said. She stuck her hand out to me.

"Petra Ral." She said. I shook her hand.

"Kai Pendragon." I replied. She smiled and smacked Eld's hand, which had creeping near her bowl of soup.

"OUCH!" Eld yelped.

"Hands off." Petra said, threatening him with her spoon.

I laughed along with everyone else, but felt a presence behind me. I turned around and came face to face with none other than Captain Shorty himself. He looked like he was bored, but that could have been his usual face.

"Yes captain?" I asked, wondering if he saw an invisible speck of dirt behind my ear and came to yell at me. Or worse, make me wash myself again.

"Tomorrow, you will wake up at dawn to practice using 3DM Gear. If you're late, you will run 2 laps around the castle for every minute you're late. Understood?" He said.

"Yessir." I said, nodding. He walked away and the table's conversation resumed. The ashen haired guy turned to me.

"Didn't introduce myself." He said. "Auruo Bossard, best soldier in the entire branch."

"Uh huh, and I'm a dancing bear." I said. "And I believe that title possibly falls to Captain Shorty, not you."

Auruo's jaw fell open, and his cheeks went red with rage. I calmly kept eating my food in silence. The others were staring at me. After a while, it got irritating.

"What?" I snapped, pushing my empty bowl to the side.

"How'd you know?" Eld whispered.

"Know what?" I asked.

"Know that Captain Levi is the strongest."

I shrugged. "He walks with authority, and it's not that hard to see."

Gunther shrugged, and resumed eating. Eld kept trying to steal Petra's bread roll, which soon turned his hands red from getting whacked by Petra's spoon. Auruo tried boasting some more, but soon gave up.

I felt slightly left out. These guys probably trained together, making a bond stronger that steel. One couldn't just feel accepted by showing up. One has to earn such a right, and I was supposed to start training in the morning. But where would I sleep, the stables?

Actually, the stables wouldn't be a bad idea.

I said good night and left for the stables.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you wonderful people for reading me story. Sorry for the wait, i had a lot of homework.**

**To Bittersweet Alchemist, you get a cookie for being the first reviewer. Thanx a bunch.**

**And now... Our Feature Presentation.**

* * *

><p>(Kai's POV)<p>

I woke up when the sky was still dark and stretched my limbs out. The straw I had piled in one corner held the imprint of my body in it. My horse Chip was standing nearby, asleep.

I chuckled and grabbed my new jacket. I ran my hands through my hair and took out the pieces of straw clinging to my head. I exited the stables.

No one was up yet.

Just my luck.

I woke up before anyone else did.

I sighed and headed back to the stable and grabbed my cavalry sword from my saddlebags. Beginning with the preset moves I had been taught, I began to practice my form.

The weight in my hands was soothing and I forced myself to go faster and faster, slicing imaginary enemies and titan heels. I didn't notice it getting lighter outside until my sword caught the first ray of sunlight.

Levi still didn't show up.

I put my sword away and began to practice with my hands and feet. Unarmed combat was useful, but only against people. But I practiced it anyway.

I finally heard the crunch of gravel under a pair of boots. Turning around, I saw an alert Levi and a half-awake Hange watching me.

Levi clapped his hands. "Impressive."

I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

"Sir, how long have you been there?" I asked.

"Twelve minutes." He said, smirking at my discomfort. "You don't like spectators?"

I shrugged.

"Depends." I said. "Are we training or not?"

"We are. However, you need to come with us for the first part."

Levi and Hange led me to a weird looking swing in the training area. My two instructors hooked me up to it.

"What's this do?" I asked, plucking the rope attached to my hip.

"It determines how you'll do with the 3DM gear." Hange said, grabbing a lever. She began to crank it.

The next thing I knew was the world was upside down.

Swallowing my embarrassment, I righted myself. The swing creaked, and Levi and Hange just watched. I felt slightly stupid just hanging there, trying to not tip over.

After a while, I decided to try something. Shifting my weight, I swung backwards. I didn't tip, so I reshifted my weight forward and began swinging back and forth.

The feeling of swinging calmed me, and soon I was laughing with delight as I swung high above Levi's head. Hange was smiling, but the short captain looked as bored as before. Soon I came to stop.

"You seemed to adjust quite well to the swing." Hange said, unhooking me from the swing.

I nodded, feeling like a kid for the first time in years.

"Now we'll see how good you do with actual 3DM gear." Levi said.

(Erwin's POV)

I walked out after breakfast to see how the new recruit was doing. But Levi, Hange and Kai were nowhere to be found.

Where are they?

I searched high and low, but they weren't anywhere.

I was nearly ready to start shouting when I heard the whir of 3DM Gear. The subjects of my search were found as they exited the small forest around the base.

Levi and Hange had red cheeks from exercise, and Kai looked like she had the time of her life. All three were outfitted in 3DM Gear.

"Commander." Levi said, nodding to me.

"Captain." I said, trying to keep my frustration off my face.

"Something wrong?" Hange asked. The simple question set me off a little.

"I have been looking for you for five hours." I said, glaring down at him.

Levi shrugged, walking back into the castle. I turned to Hange, who looked a little scared.

"Sir?" she squeaked.

"Why is she wearing 3DM Gear all ready?" I asked.

"The "she" has a name, ya know." Kai grumbled. I glared at Kai, and she smirked at me.

"She mastered the swing this morning, and Levi decided that she should practice using the actual thing in the forest." Hange said, quivering slightly.

"And how did she do?" I asked.

"She flew like a bird." Hange said. "I have never seen anything like it before, except with Levi."

"Ain't different from swinging ropes on a ship, and that's even more difficult." Kai said. I glared at her again, and she made a face at me.

"Anyways," Hange said. "She passed the test with flying colors. The only thing we need to really need to work on is the techniques for killing titans."

"Good. Let know if you need help." I said walking away.

(Kai's POV)

After the commander left, Levi and I continued training. Hange went off to do who knows what.

My aptitude with the gear was astonishing for me as well as for Levi and Hange. The feeling was almost indescribable as I soared through the air, watching the trees and scenery go by.

The next part was laughable. The rest of the Scouts were practicing unarmed, and Levi wanted me to train with them.

Eld was my first opponent. Being taller and heavier, he looked confident in himself. I took a stance and waited.

He rushed in, swinging his right fist into an uppercut. I moved to the side and stepped in, effectively kneeing him in the stomach. With my left hand, I pushed him to the ground.

"Shit, that hurt." Eld huffed, curling up into a ball.

I offered my hand to him and helped him to his feet.

"Next time, don't rush in. You left your middle wide open." I whispered. Eld nodded and sat down.

Auruo was next. He would be a bit more of a challenge than Eld was because he was closer to my size and possibly as fast. He took a boxing stance and circled around me.

I changed tactics, crouching down and put my hands forward in a wrestling stance. We circled closer when I reached out and swatted Auruo in the head.

"What the heck?" He said. I swatted his head again and again, trying to provoke him to do something rash.

After about ten seconds, Auruo got fed up and lunged forward. I slipped under his hands and grabbed his middle, flipping him over my hip. To my surprise, Auruo twisted and landed on his feet. He got out of my hold and backed away a little. I went back to my previous pose. I crept forward, looking for an opening.

Auruo started forward again. I locked my hands around the back of his head and sprawled, effectively stopping him. I shifted my arm, putting him in a headlock and kicking his feet out from under him. I wrapped my other arm around his legs and joined my hands together. The hold Auruo was in made it impossible for him to get out of it.

He slapped on my side, and I let him go. He got up and sat back where he was earlier, grumbling about the unfairness of the fight.

"Who's next?" I asked as I bounced on the balls of my feet.

At the end of the day, I felt tired. Levi had paired me up against a guy named Mike and things went downhill.

For starters, Mike could have used my head as a place to lean on his arm. The fight lasted for almost an hour before Mike finally managed to defeat me.

I had punched him and knocked him unconscious, and he fell on top of me. I struggled for a good while before I finally gave up. Moving the dead weight was near impossible without help.

"Well, well. The giant has fallen." chuckled Auruo.

"Quiet, you nag." I growled, massaging the forming bruise on my shoulder.

The sky was starting to darken with storm clouds and dinner was going to be soon. We all headed in the HQ.

Rain fell, making a comforting pattering sound against the roof.

Gunther and Eld were trying (and failing miserably) to stay awake. Petra and another girl named Nanaba were talking about gods knows what, and I sat a good distance from everyone.

Most of the regiment had heard of my fighting this afternoon, and no one wanted to talk to me. I was perfectly fine with it.

I instead took a book out of my saddlebags after dinner and was reading it in the corner. The book was about terrains and climates on different parts of the world. Illustrations came with it, and I could almost remember the march across Asia to get here. The bamboo forests, the giant wall that still stood after thousands of years…

"What are you reading?"

My thoughts were interrupted by Auruo. He was trying to read the front page, but was squinting too much to actually see it.

"It's about different places on earth." I said, flipping the book around for him to see.

Others in the room turned to me. I felt a little awkward sitting there, holding a book out for them to see. So I began to read out loud.

Everyone was soon sitting in a semi-circle, listening to me describe different places. Places that they will probably never see, or at least not in their life time. It made me sad knowing they would never see the world in all its glory, and I might never either.

After I finished, the group dispersed. Soon I was left with Petra, Gunther, Eld, and Auruo.

"Have you been to those places?" Eld asked.

"A good majority. I haven't been to a jungle, nor an ice field." I said. I sat up and began to walk away.

"Wait."

I looked back. They were standing there, waiting for me.

Gunther stepped forward. He sighed.

"Want to be in our squad?" He asked. "I mean, we are supposed to have one more member, but…"

"I would be delighted." I said.

"Yes!" Petra cried, pumping her fist in the air. "I won't be the only girl!"

I smiled and laughed with them. I found a place to be, and I had friends.

Life was alright, for now

**A/N: Aww, Kai made friends. Hope this tides you lot over until the next chapter. Keep calm and carry on, and don't forget what's important. I need chapter suggestions, so please leave a review for ideas. Thank you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**To my readers: So very sorry for making you wait this long. I had this interesting thing called Biology to deal with. **

**I don't own Shingeki no Kyojin, only Kai.**

**And now… Our Feature Presentation.**

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Six months went by, and I grew more and more restless. Having to stay in one place for so long kinda felt…wrong, but I really had no choice.

Winter was hell.

Most of the soldiers were glad to get a reprieve from duty because of the heavy snow. I knew there was a limited amount of time until I snapped. I took to avoiding others and doing anything to keep busy. The snow forced me to take Chip's horseshoes off, so I did the farrier work for the regiment.

One day I was in the middle of this when Petra stopped by. I paid her no mind as I wrestled with the horse's foot. The bugger didn't seem to want to hold still. Without a word, Petra grabbed the horse's halter and kept him still. She did the same thing for all the horses.

"Thanks." I said, straightening the kinks out of my back.

"You're welcome." she replied.

We walked back into the HQ. I was staring off into space when she asked me a question.

"Kai?"

"What?"

"Do you think you can teach me how to fight?"

I thought for a moment. Petra was close to my size and weight. She was good with 3DM Gear, but a lousy fighter.

"I don't see any harm in it." I said.

"Great! When do we start?" She asked.

"Right now."

A way to relieve stress of being stuck inside came every afternoon. Petra and I would practice for three hours. I showed her how to get an upper hand in a fight and fight people twice her size. Her fighting improved drastically over the course of two weeks.

One night, after dinner, Hange asked me to tell stories about the outside world. The eager faces of my new comrades forced me to say yes.

I told them of the snow-capped mountains and deserts I had seen, of the ocean, so vast and blue, and the prairies that you could see for miles and miles. These stories of the outside world became a nightly occurrence for everyone.

After running out of stories of the outside to tell, I moved on to the tales of the Riders. The fights we got into, the shenanigans we pulled, and the lives we led. I was telling one of these stories when my world turned upside down.

Everyone was laughing about the time Farlin got into a fight with a tree (the man was drunk off his ass) when I saw Commander Erwin.

He was laughing and smiling. His eyes twinkled with the light of laughter. He was … handsome. Actually, that was an understatement. He was _breathtaking._

His merry eyes turned to me, and I felt my stomach do a flip. I excused myself for the night.

[0]

"I guess it's just puppy love." I told Chip.

My horse left some comforting drool on my shoulder as I sat in his stall. I still slept here, it being warmer in here rather than in the castle. I patted his nose and he lipped my fingers.

I felt awful. Love was impractical, and Erwin was my superior officer. Liking him would complicate things for the entire regiment, not just for him. Distracting him was a bad idea, so telling him about it about it was out of the question. But what would I do? I had seen people under my command in the Riders lose the person they loved. Some lost a part of themselves, never to be recovered. Others would die of grief and suffer, knowing that they were alone in the world. That is what scared me.

I knew a crush would go away after a while, so I would wait.

I would just wait and see. No use in loving a man that wouldn't love you back.

[0]

"Not nervous, are you?" Auruo said.

I shook my head and tried to keep my excitement in. It was spring, and the first expedition I would go on was today. I had prepared all winter, checking every piece of gear and equipment I had. Now was the time to be free. I would be out of this miserable dump and out in the open. Heck, I might see some of my Western Army friends. Too bad they think I'm dead.

I sobered a little at the thought. Since there was no body for them to burn, They would have made a shroud for me and burned it. Farlan would lead the elegy, for he had the best voice. Everyone in the Riders would be there, vowing to avenge me and kill as many titans as they could. We had done the same for anyone who died. I felt my throat tighten, not wanting to let a tear drop at the memories.

The stone gates opened with creaks and groans. How long was it until they oiled the hinges? I really didn't care, only focusing on the open plain in front of me. Everyone tensed up and waited for the command to go.

"MOVE OUT!" yelled Erwin. Chip surged forward with the other horses around him.

[0]

A titan grabbed for me, and I spun out of the way. Swinging forward with the momentum, I jumped and fired off the gear's grapples and sliced the nape on its neck. The monster went down with a gurgle. I spun around, looking for anymore titans when I heard somebody off to my right scream. I headed toward the screaming.

A fellow scout was in the grasp of a titan. I knew I should try, but I did. I managed to cut the thing's fingers off and caught the terrified man. He was in shock, so I dropped him off on a tree branch. I turned back around to see another titan right in front of us.

I never clearly remembered what happened next. Next thing I knew was that it was dead. I kept going, looking for more to kill.

Erwin was fighting alongside Levi when he was grabbed from behind by a 9 meter. It opened its jaws, and I let loose a scream. The world turned red.

[0]

(Erwin's POV)

I thought I was dead. Until I heard the most blood curdling scream and the titan let go. At first I thought it was abnormal and decided not to eat me. I turned around, and saw the most shocking thing in the world.

Kai was tearing through the titans like Levi did. Instead of deadly precision born from practice and skill, this was deadly precision born out of rage and skill. The abnormal titans retreated and the normal ones got killed by her and the rest of the force. Kai was breathing hard and up to her elbows in steaming gore.

"Kai." I said. She turned around and faced me; her eyes lit with bloodlust.

"Enough."

That one word from my mouth stopped that maniacal glint in her eyes. She wiped the blades off on her cloak and sheathed them. She nodded to me and went back to her horse. Other soldiers made way for her, looks of awe and terror on their faces. How could someone do that? She had disregarded her own life to just annihilate Titans? She wasn't the same person.

Later, when we made camp, she was sitting by herself on a stump. I came over to her.

"What happened?" I asked.

She looked at me, then looked away. She seemed ashamed.

"Let's not visit personal demons, shall we?" She sighed.

"No, I need to know. Is it personal?" I asked.

"I've lost good people to those damn things, and I personally don't want anyone else to." She said. "I know how you feel, you know?"

I was curious at this. "How so?"

"Knowing that some of the people you command won't make it back. And feeling responsible for it. It's enough to drive a person unfit to madness." She said. I looked at her, really looked at her. Her face was tight, like she was trying not to cry. Her eyes held sadness I had never seen someone express before.

"You held a position of command before?" I asked.

She nodded. I tried to get her to answer some questions, but she wouldn't budge. Finally I gave up and asked her something else.

"Do you have any family?"

"Used to." Kai said. "My pa and ma died of a plague, and I gave up my little siblings to someone who could take care of them. They were old friends of Pa's."

She and I talked long into the night and I felt better, knowing someone who could understand me a little better than everyone else.

[0]

After that expedition, no one gave Kai second looks. Her kill count on that one expedition was 19 titans, so she had earned herself a place among us. I now knew that she would be loyal. Loyal to the bitter end.

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A/N: I had a little bit of melancholy music playin' while I was writing, so this chapter was a bit inspired. Hope you liked reading it!


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey y'all! Been awhile, right? eheheheh... Sorry for not updating.**

**I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin. I wish... but it shall never be.**

**And now, Our Feature Presentation.**

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(Erwin's POV)

After we returned to the HQ, I asked Mike to find Kai for me. It didn't take to long for Mike to find her.

Kai sat down in the chair across from my desk, looking a little uneasy. Who could blame her? For all she knew, I could be planning to kill her.

"Any idea why you're here right now?" I asked.

Kai shrugged. She was watching my hands drum against the desk top.

"I need answers from you." I said.

"Figured as much." She grumbled. "Ask away, sir."

"First off, where exactly are you from?" I asked.

"America. It's across the ocean." She said. She propped her feet on the desk and leaned back in the chair.

I sighed. She wasn't really paying attention, just rocking back and forth in the chair without a care in the world. I could feel my eye twitching.

"Ok, but what about your comment about knowing how I felt about my subordinates dying?" I said.

"That's not really your business." She said.

"I think it is."

"Well, I think my emotions aren't supposed to be your problem." Kai growled.

"Tell me. Or I could tell the Military Police about you."

I expected her to cave in, not laugh like I said the funniest thing in the world. I waited for her to stop laughing.

"Ohohoho… yer funny." Kai said.

"I wasn't joking." I said, feeling my forehead crease with more annoyance.

"I know you wasn't, that's why it was funny." She said. "But you shouldn't worry about me and how I feel. It isn't gonna get you anywhere."

"Fine. Then tell me what exactly were doing outside the wall?" I asked. "Were you a citizen left behind after Wall Maria fell?"

"Hardly." Kai answered. "I was the Commander of the Riders Corps. in the Western Army. Don't believe me?"

"Nope."

"Well, it's the truth. And here the dossier to prove it."

Kai tossed a small book on the table. I reached over and opened it, expecting blank pages. I found page after page filled with information. Some was readable, some was in a weird language that I had no hope of understanding.

"Believe me now?" Kai grumbled.

I sighed. Unrefutable evidence, and lots of it. By military orders, I was supposed to hand this over to the Commander in Chief. But if I did, they would put Kai to death and burn the information because it was illegal.

"What should I do?" I asked her.

"I would keep it for your own gain, if I were you. It has some useful maps about the areas around and inside Wall Maria."

"Why?" I asked.

"We make stores of blasting jelly and set up pits to catch Titans. All of them are marked on the map." She said. "Any more questions?"

My head was reeling. All this knowledge, and we could have used it sooner. Many lives would have been saved.

"Yeah," I said. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Also, what is blasting jelly?"

"You never asked." She said. "I was wondering how long it would take you to drag me in here and actually question me."

"As for blasting jelly, it's a mixture of sulfur and gunpowder in a gelatin compound. It's extremely volatile to the point of reacting to sudden increases in temperature and pressure. We use it to coat our arrowheads and shoot it into Titans. With their very hot body temperature, they instantly catch on fire and burn to death. Titans don't regenerate after that. We also use it to engineer pitfalls that we draw them to using bait. One switch gets pulled, and you've got yourself one twenty meter pit. We then lit them up and that's the end."

I rubbed my temples. Such a simple solution, yet so complicated at the same time. The thought of it just gave me a headache. Just light them on fire, and they burn.

"…That's an awful lot to take in." I said

"Well," Kai answered "If you want, I could excuse myself for a while and let you sleep on it, commander."

"That sounds like a good idea. Anything else you have to tell me?"

A look passed over her face, and I thought she would say something more. But instead she shook her head and left out the door. I stood up and looked out the office window at the night.

This changes everything for the better. We now knew some of the information we needed to win this war. I looked at some of the pages regarding the locations of the blasting jelly stores. Hange wouldn't wait to get her hands on the stuff, and we would watch her blow herself up. The very thought of letting her near it was shudder inducing.

I yawned, knowing full well I needed some sleep. I put the dossier in a drawer of my desk and went to bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**I let you guys a nice cliffhanger. I feel so evil.**

**With that being said, we skip forward a few years.**

**And now, Our Feature presentation.**

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Trost District

Wall Rose

Year 850

Another day, another expedition.

The day was unusually warm for an early spring day. We rode through Trost toward the gate. Many veterans kept their eyes ahead, not looking at the silent crowd. The rookies actually had the nerve to look scared.

I saw movement to my left. A father had lifted his daughter up to see the line we made through the street. The little girl looked at us in awe, and she said those words.

"I wanna join the Scouts."

I glanced over, expecting her to be caught up in the moment. Instead, she had the childish expression of determination. Her expression softened when she caught me staring. I smiled and shook my head.

Idealists start so young.

The expedition force came to a halt. The gate began to open, and I watched them rise with growing enthusiasm. The feeling of freedom still drew me forward, even after the three years of living behind these cursed walls. Chip shared my feelings and chomped at the bit. I leaned forward and time slowed.

Finally, the signal to advance came from Commander Erwin. With a whoop leaving my lips, Chip and I surged forward toward danger and freedom.

[0]

Only a few days later, we came back through the Karanese district. The Trost gate had been blocked by a huge boulder and a sheer number of Titans. Erwin and Levi had been called to a court case, Hange and Mike accompanying them. The rest of us were told to head to the barracks.

"What is this all about?" Eld growled. He was sore because he didn't get to see his beau.

Petra shrugged. "I don't know." she answered. "Maybe it has to do something to do with Trost's gate being blocked."

"Well, if you ask me…" Auruo said.

"Which we didn't." Gunther grumbled.

Auruo tried to make a snappy comeback, but ended up biting his tongue. We all laughed at his yelp of pain and teased him about his weird habit until someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around.

A Military Police soldier was standing there. My smile turned into a sneer. I didn't like Military Police soldiers, especially flirty ones.

"What do you want, softie?" I snarled. The soldier must have been a rookie because he began to edge away from me. He cleared his throat.

"Are you guys Squad Levi?" he asked.

"Yes, that's us." Gunther said. "Why?"

"Captain Levi Ackerman has requested that you get to the court house immediately. The matter is urgent."

[0]

As it turned out, Trost had been attacked by Titans while we were gone. During the battle, a boy by the name of Eren Yeager had demonstrated the ability to turn into an intelligent Titan. Erwin, the cunning man he is, had made it so that the Scout regiment would hold him and go on an expedition to find something in Eren's old family's old basement.

Right now, he rode next to me in silence. The others seemed to radiate loathing and doubt about the situation at hand. Levi had dubbed him brat for the time being and didn't want anything to do with him. He was the very thing we killed to protect humanity.

I remembered my commander. Not Erwin, who was so distracting and handsome, but someone else.

Commander Joe.

He was said to morph into a Titan. I could prove this because he had done this very thing to rip through Titans. Everybody in the Western Army didn't act this way. We knew he was a valuable asset to the army. He was a brilliant military mind, and we were good at thinning the numbers of the monsters.

Why did my comrades not think about this? He could be the very thing to turn this struggle for survival around for them. Why did no one but Erwin and Levi see this?

Well, that very reasoning had helped them win custody over Eren in the first place, and not the Military Police.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Auruo's gag. The fool had bit his tongue threatening Eren. I sighed and gave him my kerchief to mop up the mess.

"Thansth." He grumbled, dabbing at his wound. I shook my head with a chuckle.

The headquarters came into view, and I winced at the sight. Dirty windows, overgrown with ivy, and debris was everywhere. I knew what was about to come next.

"I call cleaning the stables." I announced, jumping off Chip and leading him in the direction of the stables.

The others groaned and glared at me.

"Hey," I said, shrugging. "Shoulda called it first."

Poor Eren wouldn't know the hell that would descend upon him in mere moments.


	9. Chapter 9

**And Now... Our Feature Presentation.**

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**One Month Later…**

Living with Eren Yeager was… interesting to say in the least. One month was all it took to see his true identity.

The others could understand to a degree why Eren hated Titans so much. The boy's mother had been killed before his own eyes. But the others wouldn't understand how he was so different, so threatening. Eren wore his heart on his sleeve, quick to anger and held grudges.

The only things that seemed to puzzle him was me and Captain Levi. I could understand his confusion about me. Even after four years of living inside the Walls, I still had the slight accent of my ancestral homeland. I even looked different compared to others here.

I had heard of Levi beating the shit outta him in the courtroom. It's kinda understandable why he kept his distance. But he still seemed to be so curious about Levi's attitude towards life in general.

This month of getting back into shape after that expedition was hard. We had sustained light casualties, but only twenty-one graduates replaced the thirty-five we lost. Apparently this class was the one Yeager had been a part of, so he would already know them.

I was grooming Chip when they brought in the new Scouts. Many looked like they had seen hell. An oriental girl and a blonde boy seemed to be looking around for something or someone. Dita greeted them all and began to show them to their quarters, and the two teenager's attention was caught by none other than Eren. I smiled at the slight blush the girl had on her face when she saw Eren.

The young trio walked in the direction of the group, and I shook my head. The Scouts isn't the best place to find love, but the place to find heartbreak. Hopefully, she will realize that before tragedy happens.

[0]

No less than a week later, we were going on another expedition.

I was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea. The expedition was bound for failure, with these recruits being so green. Some looked ready to pee their britches.

I looked over at Eren. He watched the gate like I usually did. He was loving this moment beyond anything else. People in the streets gave us weird looks and whispered about the Titan boy in the middle of the circle my squad and I made. I saw some people bow their heads in prayer, hoping that their family members with us would come back safely.

The ear-splitting squeal of the gate opening caught my attention. I watched Erwin, ready for the signal to advance. He seemed to be waiting for something. I remembered that question he asked me a few days ago, when Hange's Titan subjects were killed.

"_Who do you think the real enemy is?"_

"_The ones that can see you, but you can't see them?" I had answered._

I smiled at my stupidity. He was looking for a different answer, one that may tell him something. I watched the gate finish its ascent, and leaned forward on Chip.

"SCOUTS, MOVE OUT!" Erwin yelled.

[0]

"Black smoke? What the hell?" growled Gunther.

I watched as the pattern of black against the blue of the sky seemed to move from the right wing spotters and down. I was troubled by this event. What Titan would head for the center rank, and not the command spot towards the front?

I looked over to the rest of the squad. Everyone gazed ahead, trying to keep their minds on the mission. Everyone except Eren, that is. Eren was watching the right for anymore smoke signals, probably hoping that his friends were okay.

I turned back around, and noticed a lone tree pass by. An X was carved on its bark. I felt my heart soar briefly. That was a Riders mark to locate a stash of jelly and arrows! But we couldn't stop right now, not if we were going to keep up. I sighed with defeat and turned Chip forward again.

A forest of giant trees began to appear on the horizon. I sighed with relief. We now had a chance to fight back if any Titans came for us, and disrupting the disturbing pattern from the right was an added plus.

The forest was eerily quiet as we rode through. No one relaxed for one second, and I went far enough to draw my blades.

"Something wrong?" Eren asked.

"Too damn quiet." I said. "Something's up."

"Really?" Auruo said, his tone sarcastic. "No titan can possibly get this far into the formation and live."

"I still don't like the air." I growled. "Something's not right."

"I'd listen to her." Eld answered.

"Yeah." Petra piped up. "She has been at this a little longer than the rest of us."

"No need to get offended, guys." I said. "Auruo can have his doubts, like he can have my kerchief for when he bites his tongue."

"Hey, that's a low blow." Auruo growled. Eren actually began to laugh with us.

My chuckle died in my throat when one of the trees fell behind us and giant fingers nearly ripped Eren off his horse. The others yelled at their horses to speed up.

"Captain Levi! Your orders!" Eld shouted.

Levi didn't answer him. I heard the whir of 3DM gear and whirled around to see a squad coming up from behind.

"Good, reinforcements just arrived!" Petra yelled.

I felt relief, until I saw the look in the Titan behind us. This one, instead of being male in shape, was female. Her skin only covered parts of her body, showing strong muscle underneath. But the most unnerving thing was her eyes. Those eyes spoke of a sharp and shrewd intelligence instead of the dull look that was normal for a titan.

She was a Shifter. Just like Eren.

I opened my mouth to warn the squad tailing her, but they already started fighting against her. The others watched with horror as they watched her kill our comrades with monstrous ease. Petra began to hyperventilate.

"Dammit!" Eren yelled. "We could have saved them!"

"CAPTAIN! YOUR ORDERS!" Petra shrieked.

"Dammit all!" Auruo growled. "I'll kill her myself!"

Another soldier came at the female titan, only for her to grab his grappling lines and smash him into the trees and reducing him to bloody pieces. Eren kept yelling about how we could save them. The rest of the squad tried to get Levi to respond and issue orders.

"Cover your ears." Levi told us, getting ready to fire off a flare.

The bang that the gun created made my ears ring. I shook my head to clear it.

"Since when was acting on our emotions the best course of action?" Levi coldly stated. "Our goal is to protect Eren, which means we keep going."

"But we can-" Eren yelled.

"Shut up and keep riding." I growled. "You're not gonna be any good to humanity in pieces."

Levi looked back and glared at me. I shrugged, because it was the truth.

"Eren, what are you doing?!" Petra yelled.

I looked over. Eren had his hand in his mouth, ready to bite it. His eyes shone with tears and something else. Petra kept yelling at him.

"You have to have faith in us!" She cried. Eren kept gnawing on his hand.

"It doesn't matter." Levi said.

Everyone stared at the captain.

"I personally have never known what is the right choice. Trust only in myself, or trust in the strength of my comrades. Either way, make sure the choice you make is one you won't regret."

Eren bowed his head, looking at his hand.

"Please," Petra pleaded. "Have faith in us."

The rumbling of the titan's footsteps behind us was getting closer and closer. I resisted the urge to make Chip go faster.

"Eren, decide now!" I yelled. He screwed up his face.

"I'M WITH YOU!" He screamed.

We rode through a clearing, and I saw the carts upended and the harpoon cannons pointed straight at the spot where the Female Titan would be. Soldiers stood up in the trees, ready to catch her.

_Erwin_, _you_ _clever_ _bastard_. I thought.

We rode out of the clearing right as Erwin gave the order to fire. I wisely covered my ears.

"I'm going to act independently for a little bit." Levi said. "For now, Kai is in charge. Get to a spot far away from the Female Titan and get up high in the trees."

"Yes sir." Everybody chorused. Levi shot off into the trees. I sighed with relief, and heard Gunther yell a victory shout.

"What do you think of now, Eren?" He shouted.

"Let that be a lesson to you! Never doubt the Scouts!" Auruo added.

"Agreed!" Eren shouted back.

We all were relieved that we didn't get turned into Titan chow. Now we had an advantage to exploit. But I began to wonder.

Who was the Titan Shifter? And why was she after Eren?

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A/N: Phew! That took a long time to write! Mainly because I got a bit writer's block and this Christmas break has been a busy one. But I'm glad I got back into the groove.

Another reason was I got on a Pokemon kick and started a new fanfiction. But I'm finishing this one before starting a new one.

Hope y'all have happy holidays! Please R&R or PM me if you have further questions.

-Kuna Longshanks


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